S+R Guided Deliberations™ is more than just another “great debate” methodology. It’s an opportunity to understand, corral and crystalize how you can influence customers to buy your brand over competitors. It gives you the cheat codes to create marketplace interventions that change minds and, more importantly behaviors.
The method evolved from “mock juries” we created years ago with the University of Chicago Law School. The main client was a plaintiff in a high-profile antitrust case: these were real-world high stakes, so there was no room for any theoretical academic indulgences. The idea was to get under the hood of how jurors with differing interpretations of the same evidence align on a unified verdict. So, we set up a simulation where legal teams tried out different versions of their and the opposing side’s case, and then observe how jurors processed all the information – the evidence that got more attention, the arguments that carried more weight, where confusion or tension occurred and how it got resolved. Over the course of multiple sessions and jury panels attorneys honed their presentation, emphasizing their most persuasive points and preemptively addressing friction. They also role-played opposing arguments so they could prepare the most effective counters.
This gave the legal teams immediate insight they could apply to their case strategy, narrative and objections handling. As it turned out, it proved well worth it as our clients achieved some newsworthy and record-breaking awards in anti-trust, personal injury, and other types of jury trials.
Fast forward to today. S+R Guided Deliberations™ has been a boon to clients who want to understand how to best position their new products and anticipate and overcome the counter-messaging of competitors.
Here’s how it works…
We recruit a diverse group of customers who hold opposing opinions and behaviors that are relevant to the issue at hand. For example, we might compose groups containing traditionalists who are loyal to the market leader and early adopters of emerging trends. After getting some meaningful background, the group views and discusses information about a new product or service. At this point there is no moderator. We simply observe from behind the glass what transpires…the pace and intensity of the conversation, what they consider important, where they agree and disagree, and the language they use.
Once we know which new or current offering each participant prefers, the moderator divides the group into teams for a debate, with each team assigned to convince the other as to why their preference should prevail. Again, we sit back and watch, listening for the arguments they use to woo the other side, how they respond to questions and objections, and which arguments triumph and fall flat.
At different points we inject new information to see how the dynamics change. What if one of the new products has a steep learning curve? What if another raises questions about environmental sustainability? And so on.
Now, here’s where it gets really interesting. Once participants’ contrasting views are exposed, we throw them a curve ball and tell them they’re all on the same panel of experts that’s tasked with making a blue-ribbon recommendation. In other words, they have to work together to find common ground. Now, we get to see where they will give and where they will dig in. In the end, we have a full plate of insight that gives us clear strategic positioning and communication direction to up the odds of success in the marketplace.
Louis Pasteur once famously said, “Fortune favors the prepared mind.” With S+R Guided Deliberations™ you have a learning lab for how to position, frame and convey the best qualities of your brand in ways that will make competitors downright nervous. How to fight for your space, define the road map to go from early adopters to more expansive audiences. In the end, you’ll know what will change people’s minds and drive them to act on your behalf.
Shapiro+Raj
S+R is a research and strategy firm that uses social and behavioral sciences to solve the toughest business and marketing challenges. Our next-gen methods dig deep to unlock market-ready insights. Then our brand planners turn these into strategic marketplace actions that create brand evolution and innovation; customer experiences and loyalty; and new platforms for growth.
